Senior UN relief official discusses lack of security with US authorities: "As the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator asked the United States authorities in Iraq to improve security, other UN officials turned their focus to the refugee problem, calling for return or compensation for up to 1 million people displaced internally by Saddam Hussein and preparing for the repatriation of up to 500,000 external exiles."
In Electronic Iraq

"We just want to know the truth": "Several weeks have elapsed since the end of hostilities and people continue to dig in search of their loved ones. The horror of the past is beginning to surface in the form of mass graves which continue to be uncovered throughout the country. In the latest discovery in the town of al-Mahawil, near al-Hilla, Iraqis have dug up some 3,000 bodies from a site that is said to contain up to 15,000 "disappeared" people. All are believed to have been arrested and summarily executed in the aftermath of the 1991 uprising."
In Electronic Iraq

Salam is the scion of a senior figure from Iraq's Baathist nomenclature. He was brought up at least partly in Vienna, which is the OPEC headquarters; his father was therefore an oilman, and possibly a former head of Iraq's OPEC mission.

"This is not a game for you only, but for all of Iraqi sports," Raad Hamoudi, the Iraqi national soccer team's star goalkeeper of the 1980s, told his old team, Police, before it took the field in the first professional match in Iraq since the war ended. "I want you to forget the hatred and any vengeance you may have in your heart. I want you to think about the present and the future."

The U.S. executive selected by the Pentagon to advise Iraq's Ministry of Oil suggested today that the country might best be served by exporting as much oil as it can and disregarding quotas set by the Organization of Oil Exporting Countries. His comments offered the strongest indication to date that the future Iraqi government may break ranks with the international petroleum cartel.

Captain Steve's last Iraq flight: "Finis Flight Splitting headache. Tired like never before. Still I'm not willing to acknowledge that I'm sick. I go to the chow hall and while I know I should be hungry, absolutely nothing there looks edible. I down a couple grapes and drink some iced tea. I head for the room and it's about 110 degrees out. I'm walking in the direct midday sun and I have chill bumps. I'm shivering. OK, now I'll admit it. I'm not quite feeling my best."
In Command Post: Irak

The place smelled of death, of rot. The ground you walked on -- you could feel, in the pit of your stomach, that you were walking on somebody's grave. The faces, the wails... Maybe it's superstition, or maybe old bones still can hold power over the earth, but I tell you, if evil has a texture, a feel to it, you could feel it there. And you could see everybody else around you feeling it, too.

Baath Party Sent To Showers: "U.S. officials say they plan to ban as many as 30,000 members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party from any future Iraqi government. The Security Council, meanwhile, is weighing the United States' postwar proposal."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis

BERLIN ( Reuters ) - Secretary of State Colin Powell will meet German leaders on Friday seeking support for a United Nations resolution to end sanctions on Iraq with the offer of warmer bilateral relations in return. Powell holds talks with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer on Friday morning, expected to start mending relations soured by disagreement over the U.S.-led Iraq war as long as Germany supports the United States on post-war Iraq. The United States is looking for support for a U.N. Security Council resolution that would lift blocks on Iraqi oil exports and Powell made it clear he hoped for backing from Germany, one of the non-permanent members on the council.

Reuters via Yahoo News - Film uncovered after the fall of Saddam Hussein shows what seems to be new evidence of brutality under his rule -- three men being executed in gruesome fashion by being blown up with explosives packed around their bodies. Convicted in 1985 of a bomb attack that killed children in Baghdad, Saddam's security police wired them up to explosives in the desert and simply blew them up, one by one - the whole proceedings captured on a film obtained by Reuters on Thursday. The footage shows men in the uniforms of Iraqi security officers strapping what appears to be explosive to one of the blindfolded men and attaching wires to a large vehicle battery.

Baghdad Airport Remains Closed: "Steven Edgeley, a lanky Australian in brown-and-yellow camouflage, stood in the circular room atop Baghdad airport's control tower and peered through binoculars at the empty, sprawling runways below - and at the empty sky above. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Guardian Skeptical about Lynch: "Is this the real story behind Pvt. Lynch's rescue:"It was like a Hollywood film. They cried, 'Go, go, go', with guns and blanks and the sound of explosions. They made a show - an action movie like Sylvester Stallone or Jackie Chan, with jumping and shouting, breaking down doors." All the time with the camera rolling. The Americans took no chances, restraining doctors and a patient who was handcuffed to a bed frame. There was one more twist. Two days before the snatch squad arrived, Al-Houssona had arranged to deliver Jessica to the Americans in an ambulance. "I told her I will try and help you escape to the American Army but I will do this very secretly because I could lose my life." He put her in an ambulance and instructed the driver to go to the American checkpoint. When he was approaching it, the Americans opened fire. They fled just in time back to the hospital. The Americans had almost killed their prize catch.I recall seeing the footage, and don't remember seeing any blank adaptors on weapons, so I am skeptical about the accuracy of this report. (via Calpundit )"
In Command Post: Irak

Iraq: Repatriate vulnerable Iranian refugees: "For the past month between 600 and 700 Iranian refugees, from among the 8,000 Arab Iranian refugees in Iraq, have been living in the middle of large minefield near the Iran-Iraq border. They are waiting for the border to open so they can return to their country. Shannon Meehan just returned to Kuwait after two weeks monitoring humanitarian conditions in southern Iraq."
In Electronic Iraq

France fights back: "Tired of being pilloried by the White House, the French government has decided to defend itself in a letter addressed to the U.S. Congress. Describing the nation as the victim of an "organized campaign of disinformation" from within the Bush administration, French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte has included a two page list of false media stories that cite anonymous sources within the administration. The Washington Post is calling the letter "an indication of the depth and bitterness of the breach between the two historic allies.""
In Alternet: War On Iraq

A SOLDIERS MOMFinally we have news on Brandon's unit.They are in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. " It is west of Baghdad and we are functioning as a maneuver battalion. I have anArea of Operations that is about 30 kilometers by 100 kilometers. Our guysare working to provide a safe and secure environment for everyone in thatarea. We just got some showers hooked up and we're working to build a betterliving area for the guys. Right now everyone is living in the dirt on cots,but I hope to have pre-fab buildings with A/C before I leave if not muchsooner. Its tough, but our guys are hanging in."exceprt from Officers Note. Needless to say I am filled with pride for my son and his unit.God Bless Our Troops.Patti Bader05/15/03Army Mandates Post-Iraq Emotional Program

A SOLDIERS MOMTwo soldiers killed in vehicle accident.Many soldiers have been exposed to chemicals.New orders for soldiers are "Shoot to kill" any looters on sight. How does one return to humdrum life after livng under war conditions? I have been impressed with the Army's post deployment re-adjustment training,or "De-briefing as they call it.I even saw one unit teaching new Dad's coming back from war how to diaper a baby! And that my friends is where it's at. The care package campaign is struggling but we have sent off 20 care packages this month and hope to reach our goal of 100 military care packages sent off in May.Please remember to send a care package today.God Bless Our TroopsPatti Bader05/14/03

Shiite Iraqis Question U.S. Presence: "In his little souvenir shop near the shrine of Imam Ali, a revered figure whom Shiite Muslims consider the Prophet Muhammad's successor, Zahra Shokri pulls out a box of American-made Kent cigarettes and scribbles a message for President Bush on the back. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Two soldiers killed in vehicle accident.Many soldiers have been exposed to chemicals.New orders for soldiers are "Shoot to kill" any looters on sight. How does one return to humdrum life after livng under war conditions? I have been impressed with the Army's post deployment re-adjustment training.I even saw one unit teaching new Dad's coming back from war how to diaper a baby! The care package campaign is struggling but we have sent off 20 care packages this month and hope to reach our goal of 100 military care packages sent off in May.Please remember to send a care package today.
God Bless Our Troops

AP Corrects Iraq Shootings: "In an April 30 story about the U.S. Army's shooting of Iraqi protesters in Fallujah, Iraq, The Associated Press reported erroneously that a protest banner held by Iraqis said, in part, "we'll kill you." The banner said, "we'll kick you out." (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

Controversial Egyptian singer Shabban Abderrahim, who hit the headlines with a song called I hate Israel , once again plans to rock the pop world with the release of a single called Saddam's hell is better than America's paradise , the Al-Hayat newspaper reported. In the song he refers to Iraqis being ungrateful because they tore down the statues of their former leader. He has also dedicated a second song, A man full of dignity , on his forthcoming album to former Iraqi Information minister Mohammed Said al-Sahaf...

United States military forces in Iraq will have the authority to shoot looters on sight under a tough new security setup that will include hiring more police officers and banning ranking members of the Baath Party from public service, American officials said today. The far more muscular approach to bringing order to postwar Iraq was described by the new American administrator, L. Paul Bremer, at a meeting of senior staff members today, the officials said. On Wednesday, Mr. Bremer is expected to meet with the leaders of Iraqi political groups that are seeking to form an interim government by the end of the month.

" Dare I say it - I'm pretty comfortable in that environment. Our special forces are the best in the world and our level of physical and psychological training is very high so we can cope with that sort of thing . . . easily, really. The Americans know that too and they love working with us for that reason. From our point of view, it is excellent to work with the Americans because . . . we get a reach into their intelligence and equipment, which is first rate." Nonetheless, the approaches of the Australian and US special forces differ greatly, he said. " The US special forces are very big and good at operating in chaos - and that's largely because creating chaos is one of their tactics. We often look for another way than always going in straight away with a lot of punch. " Another Australian special forces member, who declined to be named, said: " We look for different ways of doing things - you could say we are more lateral. "We don't always see the way through as killing the opponent straight away, whereas the Americans almost certainly do - in this war we used a lot of psy ops [psychological operations] very successfully. I believe we managed to convince many [Iraqi soldiers] to go back to their families, to think again, not to fight . . . I'm not sure the Americans would claim to have done that."

Polish, Australian, British, US Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force Special Forces, all with different strengths. A difficult combination to defend against."
In Command Post: Irak

It's Tuesday 05/13/03 my husbands birthday and still no word from Brandon and NO news articles about his unit. I guess in this instance "No News Is Good News'.We have kicked out 12 Cuban Diplomats from the UN.It seems everyday we allienate another country. I hope the aggresive track we are taking will eventually lead us to peace. I went to the grocery store and talked with the checker. He was a Viet Nam vet. He said when he came back from deployment he was a basket case,suicidal. His mother had him talk to a counselor .After that he states, he was fine. Mothers Thank God for them.These soldiers have a long road to hoe still and I plan to support them till this job is done.Patti Bader

Deliverance or death: "A group of Iranian Kurds, who endured more than 20 years in a squalid Iraq refugee camp, are now squatting in a no man's land on the Jordanian border -- and threatening mass suicide if they are not resettled."
In Salon: Iraq War

Humanitarian non-assistance: "The Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance is holed up in Saddam's old palace. Afraid to leave their headquarters and step into the military chaos outside, the officials are extremely isolated and ineffective. According to the Daily Telegraph, OHRA chief Barbara Bodine did not know about the 13 Iraqis killed by U.S. soldiers for 24 hours after the event."
In Alternet: War On Iraq

Saddam's Hometown Torn Between Loyalty: "Haji Shafiq and Sami Hemeid are treading a fine line. They belonged to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party - but, they insist, that was just a formality. They earned their living working for Saddam - but they acknowledge the failures of his rule. Then again, they argue, everyone makes mistakes. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

AMMAN, Jordan -- Refugees and other foreigners in Iraq -- mostly Palestinians -- have been fleeing to Jordan because of intimidation and attacks, the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch group said in a report released Sunday.

The international human rights group's 22-page report, which highlights abuses against Iraq's refugees, came as U.S. forces work with Iraqis to restore order following Saddam Hussein's ouster.

Amid rampant looting, vandalism and other crimes, landlords -- forced by Saddam to take in Palestinian tenants at discounted rates -- have been taking advantage of the chaos by evicting tenants or demanding unrealistic rental increases, the report said.

In other cases, armed groups have threatened foreigners to leave their homes or face violence.

Saddam was seen as a supporter of the Palestinians and their opposition to Israel's occupation of Arab lands. During the 1991 Gulf War, Iraqi forces fired Scud missiles at the Jewish state, drawing praise from Palestinians in the occupied territories.

Peter Bouckaert, a researcher for the group, said "the lack of security endangers everyone in Iraq, but refugees and other foreigners are especially vulnerable."

The group's report highlighted stories of Palestinian refugees, including Khairiyya Shafiq Ali and her family, who claim armed groups threatened to kill them if they didn't hand over $150.

They told her "Saddam is gone, you are nothing here. You own nothing in Iraq. If you want to leave, take only your clothes," according to Human Rights Watch.

Nazima Sulaiman, 50, fled Baghdad with her family after unknown attackers threw explosive devices into her house, killing an infant baby and injuring six others, including three of her children, the human rights group said.

Also, Iranian Kurds living in a refugee camp west of Baghdad fled to Jordan when police stopped guarding the camp, the group said.

The United Nations refugee agency says some 1,000 Iranian Kurds and 450 Palestinians who fled Baghdad are stranded in a no-man's-land between Jordan and Iraq.

Britain's Sunday Times newspaper said Iraqi intelligence agents infiltrated al-Jazeera, the Arab world's most widely watched television station, in an attempt to win favorable coverage. Al-Jazeera spokesman Jihad Ballout told Reuters the network was unaware of "any member of al-Jazeera who is working for any foreign intelligence" organization. The Sunday Times said documents uncovered by opponents of Saddam Hussein after he was ousted by a U.S.-led invasion force last month showed Iraq's intelligence service had three agents working inside Qatar's al-Jazeera television network. According to the documents, one alleged agent passed on two letters written by Osama bin Laden, blamed for the 2001 attacks on the United States, to his Iraqi handlers. Two cameramen were also said to be Iraqi agents.

Assad Discusses Iraq: "From Newsweek comes an interview between Senior Editor and Washington Post columnist Lally Weymouth and Syrian President Bashar Assad. I've posted some of his comments re: terrorism on the GWOT page, but he also comments on Iraq. A highlight:

Did you make a mistake in opposing the war with Iraq, keeping Iraqi oil flowing to Syria and allowing weapons to go across your border into Iraq? We were not close to [Iraqi President] Saddam [Hussein] and did not have an embassy in Baghdad. I never met him or talked with him on the phone. What you said about the oil is true. We had economic relations with Iraq. What you said about this government allowing armaments to go to Iraq is not correct. [But] arms were smuggled into Iraq by individuals; the government had nothing to do with it.

Did Iraqi regime leaders come here during the war? Yes, some of them came to the border. They weren?t allowed to come in. Some of them were captured by the Americans.

Didn?t some come here? Somebody came before [the war].

Their families? We allowed families to come to Syria, women and children. But we were suspicious of some of the relatives?that they had positions in the past and were responsible for killings in Syria in the ?80s ...

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The American general who commanded the Iraq war issued a statement Sunday saying Saddam Hussein's Baath Party "is dissolved," ordering the political organization that ruled the country for 35 years to cease existence immediately.

The message from Gen. Tommy Franks, commander of coalition forces, was read over U.S.-controlled Information Radio on Sunday afternoon.

"The Iraqi Baath Socialist Party is dissolved," Franks said in the statement, read by an announcer in Arabic. The station is broadcast across Iraq on the AM band.

Franks' order came a month after U.S. troops took Baghdad and unseated Saddam's regime, which had made sure the Sunni-dominated party -- whose formal name is the Arab Baath Socialist Party -- extended its reach and its control into all corners of the country's society.

The statement told Iraqi citizens to collect and turn in any materials they had relating to the party and its operations. It called them "an important part of Iraqi government documents."

"Possessions of the Baath Party must be delivered to the temporary coalition authority," the statement said. "Anyone who possesses documents related to the Baath Party or the Iraqi government must maintain and protect them and hand these documents to the coalition."

Unseating the Baath was considered a top priority of American military planners in the run-up to the Iraq war, which began March 20 and had largely ended by mid-April.

The general's order Sunday is in some ways academic, given that the Baath-controlled government has been overthrown and both the American military and its civilian administrative counterparts have occupied the country.

But some upper-level Baath government and party leaders, including Saddam himself, remain either unaccounted for or the run. The United States says it has made a priority of tracking them down -- as exemplified by its "deck of cards" issued to U.S. forces and depicting the regime's most-wanted.

In the weeks since fighting ebbed, the U.S. occupying force's administration has moved to appoint its own overseers to government ministries and bring people back to work with an eye toward excluding Baathists who worked closely with the Saddam regime.

However, membership or affiliation with the party was required for many if not most white-collar jobs, and American officials have acknowledged that purging Baathists from the ranks of Iraq's civil service may be neither possible nor desirable.

Franks' statement also said that "apparatus of Iraqi security, intelligence and military intelligence belonging to Saddam Hussein are deprived of their authority and power."

But the general emphasized that freedom of expression -- including political expression -- would be assured under coalition occupation.

"All parties and political groups can take part in the political life in Iraq, except those who urge violence or practice it," he said in the statement.

The Arab Baath Socialist Party gained a totalitarian grip over nearly all aspects of Iraqi society since its first brief lurch to power in 1963 and its final takeover in 1968, which would last until last month.

Saddam, who reportedly got his start in the party as a clandestine killer, was a force behind the scenes starting in the late 1960s but did not formally grab control until 1979.

Two generations of Iraqis have been indoctrinated with the party's theory of Arab supremacy. Lower-level members have managed the institutions of government on a day-to-day basis.

As many as 1.5 million of Iraq's 24 million people belonged to the party. But only about 25,000 to 50,000 were full-fledged members -- the sort of elite targeted by U.S. officials now trying who want to the party's influence.

The Baath Party was founded in Syria in 1943 and spread around the Arab world, promoting Arab superiority and Arab unity with a violent, Soviet-style party structure. It took power in Syria in 1963 and created branches in many Arab countries, bitterly squabbling both with established governments and rival, communist revolutionaries.

Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press

--------------------

This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-baath-party,0,4762712.story

"We're coming with a mighty force to end the reign of your
oppressors," Bush said, addressing Iraqis who might be
listening from afar. "We are coming to bring you food and
medicine and a better life. And we are coming and we will
not stop, we will not relent until your country is free."
We are very proud of you,Keep your helmet on!

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